Raptors at Hornets
The Toronto Raptors scored at least 114 points in six consecutive games before running into the upstart Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday and failing to reach 90. The Raptors will try to find their offensive spark and earn a fifth win in six games when they visit the Charlotte Hornets on Friday.
Toronto averaged 120.2 points in six games - the last four wins - before going 6-of-24 from 3-point range and shooting 39.5 percent from the field in a 94-89 setback at Philadelphia. “We missed a lot of wide open shots," Raptors coach Dwane Casey told reporters after the loss. "They didn’t do anything, necessarily. They’re a good team, they’ve been playing well. No disrespect to them but we missed a lot of wide open shots." The Hornets returned from a five-game road trip and snapped a five-game slide with a 107-85 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, which brought the team back to .500. Charlotte held the Portland backcourt duo of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum to a combined 39 points on 14-of-36 shooting and will try to bring a similar effort against Toronto's set of All-Star guards, DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Sportsnet (Toronto), FSN Southeast (Charlotte)
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (28-14): Toronto was without backup center Lucas Nogueira (concussion) and power forward Patrick Patterson (knee), and lost small forward DeMarre Carroll to a head injury during Wednesday's setback. The Raptors did get one piece of good news in the frontcourt when Jared Sullinger (foot) made his season debut and logged 14 minutes off the bench while contributing eight points and three rebounds. "I was able to keep up with the game," Sullinger told reporters. "I didn’t think I was going to be able to keep up, especially how hard and how fast the Sixers play, but I was able to keep up with the game and just picking my spots."
ABOUT THE HORNETS (21-21): Charlotte got its own pleasant surprise in the frontcourt on Wednesday from veteran center Roy Hibbert, who has been mostly ineffective since suffering a knee injury in October. Hibbert averaged 16 minutes and 5.2 points off the bench before going 7-of-8 from the floor en route to a season-high 16 points in 22 minutes on Wednesday. "I continue to trend in the right direction," Hibbert told the Charlotte Observer. ""My legs are feeling good. The training staff and the strength coaches are working hard. When you have an injury like mine, with the knee, the quad atrophies."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Hornets SG Jeremy Lamb (foot) missed the last three games and is day-to-day.
2. Raptors C Jonas Valanciunas recorded a double-double in four of the last five games and is averaging 15 rebounds in that span.
3. DeRozan scored 34 points in Toronto's 113-111 win at Charlotte on Nov. 11.